The $1.7 billion medical marijuana industry made its lobbying debut in Washington on Wednesday with its official trade association launching an effort for changes in federal tax law that would put medicinal purveyors on equal footing with fully legitimate businesses.

OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino issued a press release on Wednesday with a number of alarming and unsubstantiated claims about the dangers of marijuana cultivation. He did not provide any evidence or statistics to back his statements, most of which directly contradicted scientific evidence.